Cleaning your PMQ: employed vs. un-employed

Last week I had the chance to be at home on a week day, and it was completely un-expected! The night before had been a bit of a drama, and because my boss was away I was able to take the day to set things straight.

Because my day “off” was unexpected I didn’t have time to schedule a bunch of things to do, you know, the tasks and errands that you schedule when you have time to plan and know that you don’t want to be cleaning the baseboards. Well in my case, I had the day off, coupled with a bunch of appointments and errands that had to happen. It made for a very productive day on the whole, and one that could have only happened because it wasn’t planned.

I was able to do dry-cleaning, pay bills, hit the post office, wash the baseboards, sweep and vacuum, wash the windows, clean the bathroom, do ALL the laundry that needed to happen, and make muffins. That’s right folks I even got around to cleaning my PMQ! How?! Because I had time on my hands, cleaning your PMQ only really happens when you have oodles of time, and things that needed to be done.

Back when I was un-employed, you can be sure that this PMQ was in tip-top shape. You could almost take it for granted that all of this would be done, but employment means “no more.” Since I started working, my husband had to take up half the chores (which is only fair) but because of our lifestyle and operational demands, I’ve had to re-adust to doing it all myself again while working full-time.

I’ve developed one tips and tricks for cleaning on the fly, and I’m going to share them with you:

1. Spray-bottles with 3 parts vinegar and 2 parts water: I keep one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, and one with the washer and dryer.

I use them to clean sinks, counter-tops, inside the washing machine drum and gasket, and even to wash the windows! Cleaning with vinegar is perfectly safe, 100% natural and really cheap. I don’t enjoy having to buy the really strong cleaning products that smell completely artificial and aren’t always super safe. Vinegar and water is one of the better options I have for cleaning.

2. Sweeping instead of vacuuming

I used to vacuum everywhere! I was easy, didn’t involve me bending over to sweep into little dustpans, and got all the pet hair out of the house. Once I started working, I found it harder to haul the vacuum up two floors and in between, especially at random hours that may be outside of the PMQ quiet hours. Oddly enough sweeping has proven to be much easier and faster: I can sweep almost every room in the house, and only need to vacuum the stairs and carpets every other week. I suggest you pick-up a broom and dustpan if you don’t have one , as you may find you have more use for it than you thought.

3. Micofiber cloths

I buy about a dozen microfiber cloths every year. I buy them cheap and in bulk at dollarama, and boy oh boy do they come in handy! I try to use them where I would use paper towel, but instead of thrown them away I rinse and re-use before washing at the end of the week alongside the dishcloth. I figure I’m better off re-using and recycling them instead of tossing them out. Paper towel is great, but in an attempt to be a little more eco conscious, this is just one of the ways I do my part for the environment.

4. System, system, system

This may sound like a given, but stick to your system. I start cleaning in the same space with the same task, every single time. It means that I can go into automatic and power through it instead of thinking of what needs to happen next. Sure, a random day off here and there lets me focus on the other things, but a good ol’ routine keeps this place going from one day to the next.